The Discipline of Repentance and Renewal

Here is #9 of my "Ten Disciplines for Living Downstream from Eden" –

The Discipline of Repentance and Renewal

A young man from Pakistan sat down beside me on a plane last night. Intelligent and interested in talking, he had serious questions about the Christian faith. He is very convinced and serious about his own faith which requires him today to fast from sunrise to sunset.

We discussed the month-long ritual of Ramadan which begins today. My friend explained that for him it is a kind of personal jihad against pride and selfishness, a public recognition that we are all sinners and a spiritual discipline designed to help him become a better person.

I shared with him some of the insights in Downstream from Eden about
the way that religions all over the world use water to symbolize the desire for cleansing the soul. Everyone gets soiled. The daily washing of food and clothes and bodies reminds us of the need for personal hygiene, both physical and moral.

From Noah to John the Baptist, the Bible flows with stories about repentance and renewal. They are stories of truth about our deep-seated flaws, our penchant for duplicity and denial and the deadly consequences of it all, but they’re also revitalizing stories of

hope because God welcomes us flaws and all and lavishes forgiveness on all who seek it.

Living ‘downstream from Eden’ in an ethical way means admitting our private and public sins, our failure to live up to our human potential and divine calling, our failure to care for the earth and each other, and our failure to give honor to God.

The call to repentance is always seeking us out, beckoning to us, not rubbing our nose in our failure, but announcing the redemptive opportunity that opens the door to new beginnings.

Image Sources:
Muslims at Prayer - Ted Brellisford/The Hamilton Spectator
Water - World Vision
Prodigal Father and Son - Chosen Rebel Blog